Page 145 of The Last Valkyrie

A slow, steady rhythm beat against my palm. My heart hitched to my throat and relief overwhelmed me with dizziness. “Oh gods, you’re alive!”

I ripped off sections of my shirt and part of my leather pants, making shoddy tourniquets for my elven lover that I wrapped around his various wounds.

Dahlia said my blood was powerful, but not powerful enough to resurrect.

. . . Is it powerful enough to heal?

I didn’t want to take the chance by removing the sword from his chest, risking him bleeding out immediately.

“Vini!” a voice called out.

My wings stiffened at my sides, snapping open in an instant as I spun around with my spear in my hands.

Dagny Largul and Randi Ranttir, my gods-damned besties, were rushing toward me. Behind them were five or six acolytes wearing the dark robes of trainees.

“Oh my gods,” I croaked.Finallysome good fucking luck.

Dag was training to be a healer. I’d seen her work magic on Sven and myself. I rushed to meet them, throwing a fierce embrace around both girls at the same time.

“Fuck me, you two are a sight for sore eyes,” I whispered, my eyes prickling.

“We couldn’t find a good time to leave Eir Wing with all the chaos outside,” Dagny said. “Then we saw you landing and just fucking charged it.”

I smiled crookedly at her. “Just fucking charged it? Sounds likeme, Dag.”

Randi said, “Same with Mimir Tomes. The acolytes are in a tizzy. The Tomekeeper is missing and we have no direction.”

Fucking Dahlia. Yeah, I might know a thing about that.

I turned around and pulled Dagny with me by the arm, bringing the rest of the frightened acolytes with her. “I’ll give you some direction. Corym is dying and he needs your help, Dag.”

We went to our knees at his sides, the other handful of students crowding us in a huddle.

“Fuck, this looks bad,” Dag said unhelpfully.

“Can you do anything? Please say you can.”

I glanced up, noticing the fearful expression on her face.

Reaching across Corym, I put a hand on her shoulder. “Please. Whatever it takes.”

“Corym’sthe damned healer!” she yelled in a cracking voice, tears in her eyes.

“No, Dagny.Youare. You’re a bad bitch and I know you got this.” I gritted my teeth, our eyes locking together.

My friend stammered for a moment, the lost expression plain on her face—

But then it bent into a determined visage, her jaw setting with a fierce nod.

She cracked her knuckles and worked fast, shouting orders to the other acolytes as she slowly pulled the blade out of Corym’s chest and began stymieing the flow of blood that spurt out.

Bile rose in my throat, nausea beating behind my eyes, and I had to turn away so I wouldn’t pass out from all the slick blood, the coppery scent, and the sheer sight of Corym on death’s door.

No, Odin. Please, Freyja, Hel—don’t let me greet any of you in the snowy place with Cor’s golden soul at the other end of the valley!

My brow furrowed when I noticed dark shapes running through the meadow.

I figured they must have been Huscarls or cadets, given that we were in the heart of campus on the expansive meadow.

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